Page 24 - KBHA BULLETIN 3

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low pH of the water runoff from Fynbos on the Cape Peninsula mountains, it is quite possible

that vegetation contributed acidity to the high levels of water available during the wet period.
This gives us the final ingredient for our cave-making recipe.

Human History

The stone tools and shell middens found on Trappieskop and at Clovelly Cave indicate that

humans have used the caves on the lower slopes of mountains for many years, but I have
limited this article to the cover the last 100 years.

In the early part of this century, a number of articles about the caves appeared in the local
newspapers. One even gave a map of Boomslang (then called Aladdin’s Cave) (Fig. 3.1)

(Anon, Cape Argus 1923), and a geologist’s impression of the caves. Another (W. E., 1924)

gives an insight into how mountain ethics have changed, as it describes how the party guide
expertly showed them how to smash an empty bottle against a rock in order to manufacture a

candle holder.

J. C. W. Moore

Another of the early authors to record his experiences of the mountains was J. C. W. Moore.
His earliest memory of the caves is of a visit to Muizenberg Cave. His father took him to visit

the cave in about 1890, when he was about 12. (Moore, unpublished.) He was most impressed

by the pit to the south of the entrance chamber, now known as Leslie’s Grotto. A local story
told of a dog that had fallen down the pit, and whose body had washed up on Muizenberg

beach! Moore also reported that a local municipality had asked members of the Mountain

Club of South Africa to investigate the possibility of opening the caves to tourists. (Moore,
unpublished.) Moore does not record the outcome of the visit, but we can assume that the

recommendations were not favourable. Although Moore was not as active a caver as Meyer,
he did publish a number of short works on the caves. His most extensive work was published

in the journals of the South African Spelaeological Association. In conjunction with Phil

Hitchcock (Mole Certificate number 14), Moore wrote a series of articles on the caves,
describing most of those which by then had names. (Moore, SASA Bull.)